[Qbot2640]

I'd suggest building a complete robot and entering one of the area off-season tournaments in the fall. These are great, low-cost ways to get a good idea what to expect in the spring.

There is, of course, SCRIW in the Columbia area. THOR in North Carolina, and GRITS in Georgia to name a few.

If you have not experienced one of these competitions, they usually cost about $350 to enter, and are one-day events...so they don't require time off school, or a large investment. For an established team, they are a great way to train an incoming group of new members - but for a new team they give you a build season and competition to go through before the build season and competition.